water

A recap of my final days in the Mayuge District of rural Uganda. A look at the Peace Gospel International high school project, a glimpse into one of our classrooms during Chemistry, a walk through surrounding villages, soccer practice of the high school team, meal time, laundry time, dorm life, our women’s empowerment program during seamstress training, a look at the realities of water collection in the district, and finally, a sunset over Lake Victoria on my final day.

At the high school project, the newest building is almost complete. It will be the main building of the school with new facilities for the official chemistry lab, more classroom space, a library, and more administrative offices. The school has an enrollment of almost 250 students, most of which are boarding students.

Deep in southeastern rural Uganda, near the intersection of Lake Victoria and the Kenya border, you will find a humble primary school in a village called Mairinya, usually not listed on any maps. The following photos document the joy these children get from their daily weekday classes and fresh breakfast and lunch that is provided lovingly by the dedicated staff.

Peace Gospel International has three schools in Uganda, one in urban Kampala (blogged about the previous two days), a rural high school (our biggest effort which has taken years to establish), and then, last but not least, our humble rural primary school which, along with its beautiful and gracious neighbors, is the focus of this blog post.

I love this little school as it’s kind of the little school “that could.” Despite a dire lack of resources and underpaid teachers, the school thrives, and the children are ecstatically eager to learn. When I look at their tattered school books, their handwriting and the comprehension of the subjects (based in English) is nothing short of miraculous, given their circumstances. This little oasis of education is proof that where you create an opportunity to learn, fill it with love, and fill stomachs with fresh meals, anything is possible.

Today we made our way to the village of Barrio Nuevo, situated 135 km southwest of Managua in the Rivas District. The village has no access to clean water. Living Water is in the planning stages of drilling a safe water well for this community. Currently, residents are complaining of parasites, kidney infections, and frequent diarrhea. We attended a church worship meeting which was held outdoors under the shade of trees in the center of the village. The people we met were very warm and welcoming. Local staff members from Living Water showed us some of the existing open wells which produce limited and contaminated water.

After this, some of us made our way to the Nicaraguan National Circuit Surfing Championship at Finca Popoyo. Two Living Water local staff members were in the competition and placed among the top four finalists. I fell in love with the little community there; what a gorgeous coastline. The day ended catching up with the rest of the group while enjoying another stunning sunset over Redondo Bay.

In a rare moment, my new friend and fellow photographer Missy Hill picked up my backup Leica and, after giving her a crash course on using the rangefinder, shot a portrait of me. So I actually made it onto my own blog in this post. Hope you’re enjoying following along on our Nicaragua adventure.

Continuing our walk of the city of suspended art, we discover the interplay of wood, iron and stone with light and water. Many of Venice’s buildings are suspended by the trunks of the water-resistant alder trees, harvested hundreds of years ago in Slovenia. The foundations of the buildings are made of limestone placed on top of the closely-spaced piles (tree trunks) which have survived centuries of submersion in the oxygen-sparse waters of the Venetian Lagoon.

Thus much of the city is essentially suspended above the waters on what one could call man-made islands of classic architecture and quiet walkways. There are no vehicles in the city; not even a bicycle can be seen. Only pedestrians and the narrow vessels of the lagoon can be seen. For its unique nature, I would refer to the city as one of deep history, perpetual intrigue and romance— a romance with the city herself which, aside from the tourist-overrun areas at certain times of the day, is captivating and endless— with the turn of each corner revealing new discoveries in exponential possibilities.

In my next post I have a very special treat for you, another fundamental theme of our fair Venezia I am saving as the final “dolce” touch of my series. Stay tuned, and thanks for following along.